Jar lifter



B. ECKERT April 26, 1938.

JAR LIFTER Filed Oct. 7, 1956 IN VENTOR.

[Tami EUELL ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES JAR. LIFTER.-

Buell Eckert, Fremont, Ind., assignor of one-third to Claude H.-Douglass and one-third to John Stafford, both of Angola, Ind.

Application October 7,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in jar lifters, and has for its objects to provide a lifter including a positive and secure frame, having a convenient transverse handle, and vertical strong,

though formed of metal, strips upon which the desired manipulating elements are slidably mount-' ed, and also guided for opening and closing jaws to grip the neck of the jars for which the lifter is intended, together with spring members conmeeting the frame with said jaws for actuation of the latter as will be explained in detail.

It is a further object of my lifter to provide vertical coil springs adjacent the inner face of the respective frame strips to make readily attachable or detachablethe lower ends of the coils upon the lower ends of said strips, whereby detachment of these parts makes easily replacement of the new springs when fracture requires it. Another object is to mount the upper portions of the sliding elements pivotally together,

and thereby require no other pivotal connection" of parts,a very desirable advantage, aslater explained.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side view showing the jaws engaging the neck of a jar;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the lifter showing the jaws separated;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device;

Figure 4 is a vertical, longitudinal section of the lifter taken in a plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken in a plane indicated by 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail of the lower tip of one of the frame strips, and portions broken away, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a detachable detail fastener for the tip flange.

The lifter shown and described in this specification comprises an upper frame device 5 which is without flexibility and is quite rigid, the jaws 6 which act to engage the neck I of the jar, be ing guided by mounting the jaw members 8 upon said device 5 for relative'movement thereon, and thereby movement of the jaws to and away from each other, being accomplished and controlled.

The frame 5 comprises an integral metal. strip of flat material whose original form is longitudinal, having an intermediate broadened portion Whose lateral edges 9 are, in manufacture, turned upwardly and toward each other, to form the strong tubular handle portion ID, as seen in Figs.

1936, Serial No. 104,494

1 to 4 of the drawing. The vertical and narrower strips II are parallel to act as support for the body of the lifter. I

The lower ends l2 of the bent down'strips H are bent toward each other forming a flange 13 on each, which flanges are provided with convenient means for attachment thereon of one end of the spring coil 14 to be later more fully explained. Slightly above the ends l2 of the strips l I, a broadened and integral flange i5 is provided on either side of the strip H, thereby providing four such flanges l5 on the frame 5. The outer edges of said flanges l5 are bent inwardly at it,

' as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, and the inner edges ll of the flanges l5 are shaped oblique to the length of the strips, so that the intervening space between such edges ll very positively widens in an upward direction. Such edges H are not in contact with the strip faces, but are open sufficiently to receive jaw members 8 into such inclined inner spaces l8 which are sufliciently open to, not only admit the members 8, but permit slight movement of the members 8 laterally in such spaces l8. Such inclined spaces l8 furnish the guides for actuating the jaws S in opening or closing, by the latter rising or falling by manual operation.

The actuation of the jaw members depends in my construction shown, by forming them of strong wire separately, on opposite sides of the jar to be lifted and carried. To this end, either member '8 is integral and comprises a loop hav ing parallel rods 8 slidable lengthwise of the corresponding inclined spaces 18 within the flanges l5 of the frame 5, the'upper ends of the members'B are bent toward the inner face of the adjacent strip H, and then joined by an integral cross rod 59, while the lower ends are bent inwardly and outwardly where they are integrally joined by arcuate connections to form the gripping jaws 6; whereby raising members 8 in the guides 56 tends to open the jaws E, and lowering them tends to force the jaws toward each other to grip the neck 1 of the jar.

The various parts which comprise the jar lifterare each completely formed in such a'manner that subsequent to their assembly the formations will serve to lock the parts together withoutfur-' ther deforming of any of the parts. To this end each flange l3 which is bent inwardly as shown in Fig. 6 is provided with a pair of arcuate recesses Z3 forming between them an ear 26. After thejaw members 8 have been inserted in the guides formed by the flanges I6 a clipor shell 25 is slippedover' each flange l3 a'nd'when so'positioned prevent the jaws from being moved inwardly a distance sufficient to prevent their removal.

These shells 25 are then looked in position by the looped end 280i the springs I4. As shown in Fig. 7 each shell is recessedon its upper and lower faces as. indicated at 21. Such recesses overlie the slots 23 whereby the springs I4. when positioned as indicated in Fig. 4 look the shells in position on the flanges I3. 7

' The ends of the wire which form the jaws 8 are brought together and form the cross rods I9. Thus it will be seen that prior to the insertion'of the jaws in the frame II these ends of the wires or jaws 8 may be spread apart for insertion in, the pivot sleeve 20. This sleeve'is provided at.

either end with a downwardly turned ear 2|. Each of these ears is provided with a suitable opening to receive the upper loopedends of their respective springs I4. Inasmuch as the springs I4, when in their normal'position, are in tension it isobvious that the springs will serve as final locking members'to retain the various parts in their assembled operating positions. 7

When the. jaw' members 8-are inserted laterallyin the respective bent flange members I5, the .latter, being integral with the strips II, are

positioned slightly above the flanges I3, but out of contact with the latter. The ends of the flanges I3 are apt to present a sharp edge for receiving thereon the pressure of the inner surface of the rods '8, unless friction at that point is reduced, which I attain by mounting the shells ,25 telescopically on the respective flanges I3, and

thereby providing curved edges 26 against. which the rods 8 may move,'both longitudinally in the spaces I8, and also laterally while limited thereby, as will be evident. The provision of the coils I4 with one end hook detachably connected to theear 2|, and the other hook connected to the tip 24 by means of the .slots 23, will serve to;urge

the members 8 downwardly, and at the same time hold the shell 25' well on the flange I3,fsecurely gether 'at Zllyand operatingas levers, whereby raising the parts I9 and 20 by the fingers of the hand while retaining a grip of the handle I0,

1 opens the jaws 6 and releasesthe jar, whichgrip, of another jar, is efiected by merely. positioning the jaws thereon while releasing the hold on the part 20, so that the coils I4 automatically lower the members 8 and 6, and thereby close about the neck -I of the second jar" The normal position of the .jaws when not positively controlledman- 'ually, is a closed one about the jar neck. This is clearly'shown'in Figs. '3 and 4;.

In operation, assuming that thelifter is applied to a jar or other similar receptacle having f a neckabout which the jaws 6 are gripped at I,

and the jaws closedautomatically by the action of the, springs I4 tendi g to lower the members 8, the hand may grasp the handle Ill and-thereby carry the jar to any spot desired where it may be.

deposited; when the same hand may reach down to thelower tube 20 enclosing the rods I9 therein, 75

and then manually grip the two parallel members '20 and I 0 together or toward each other. movement draws the members 8 with their areal grip jaws 6, upward through the guides I6 thereby separating the rods 8 and opening the jaws 6, so that the jar is released, and the lifter may then be applied to another receptacle neck, where manual release of the device causes the jaws to grip the latter jar. are held in the guides by the outer: curves at I 6, and the curved ends 26 prevent inward movement of the rods, while the upper portions of the gripping members are permitted to' separate somewhat by the pivotal action of the rods I9 in the tube 20.

Very effective action of the jaws 6 is attained by application of force to both these members 8, and the jar is gripped by. the springs I4 without manual force applied to any part, the handle only being grasped, unless the jaws are to be released. The coils I4 are very readily replaced,

if they are broken, and their ends are easily In this operation, the rods 8 engaged with the parts ZI and 24, respectively. 7 Such coils I4 may also be used which are stronger or weaker, as may be found, advantageous; Other changes may be made in the structure shown,without departing from the scope of my:

invention, and as limited only by the following claims.

Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A'jar lifter comprising a normally, erect frame member having spaced and parallel strips and lateral flange members bent to form oppospective guides, and having pivotal means for connecting the upper ends together, for swinging relative to each other, opposite inwardly directed concave jaws on. the lower ends of said bowed members, and a frame flange below the plane ofsaid guides to resist unlimited inner movement;

of said bowed members to leave the guides. 2. A jar lifter comprising a substantially vertical frame memberhaving spaced and parallel sitely inclined guide members, a pair of bowed gripping members slidingly mounted in the remembers, a pair of bowed gripping members slidthe pivots of the gripping membersfor normally.

closing said jaws.

. r 3. A jar lifter comprising a' metalstrip frame having an. intermediate handle portion/parallel strips integral with the handle, the lower end of each strip being widened to form lateral. cross flanges in a plane transverse of the handle, guide elements formed by bending said lateral cross flanges inwardly upon themselves but spaced from the same, and directed oblique to the'strips, a

pair of bowed gripping members slidingly mount-' ed in the respective guides, so that upward move- I ment of the bowed members in the guides tends to separate the bows, means for pivotally' con-- necting the upper ends of the bows. together,

strips to normally. lower the jaws in said guides and thereby close the jawstogether.

mounting adjacent the inner faces of said strips and connected at their ends to the upper ends of the bowed members and the lower ends of the strips, respectively, the lower ends of the strips having inwardly bent slotted flanges for attach ment of the coils thereto, and a hollow, flat shell having one lateral concave edge to receive therein the slotted flanges and thereby expose the slotted edge of the flange for connection of the coils.

BUELL ECKERT. 

